Vatican, a global network against organized crime and corruption is born

Announces the council for justice of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in a document covering the June 15th debate. "It will not be limited to pious exhortations; concrete gestures are needed."

Vatican, a global network against organized crime and corruption is born

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Pubblicato il
02/08/2017

Ultima modifica il 07/08/2017 alle ore 12:31

domenico agasso jr

VATICAN CITY

From the Holy See another concrete step in the fight against organized crime and corruption. After the international debate of June 15th, which showed "the will to deal with the various forms of corruption, organized crime and mafia as a common front," the council for justice of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will create "an international network". "The Church is already a network around the world and, as a result, it must dedicate itself to this task with courage, decisiveness, transparency, spirit of cooperation and creativity," reads the final summit document.

The document - revealed by Ansa - derives its impetus from the Pope's "No to corruption" intention which he has entrusted to his worldwide prayer network for February 2018, in memory of the homicide of the Blessed Giuseppe Puglisi, priest and martyr, "so that those with a material, political or spiritual power do not let themselves be dominated by corruption". The document goes on to explain that starting in September the international council "on justice of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will orient their own initiatives throughout the next year, while keeping this commitment in mind."

Corruption, it is stated, "before being an act is a condition: from here emerges the need for culture, education, institutional action and participation of the citizenry". The council "will not be limited to pious exhortations, because concrete gestures are needed. In fact, the commitment to education requires credible teachers even in the Church."

According to the council, "anyone seeking alliances for privileges, exemptions, preferential or even illegal channels is not credible. We will all become irrelevant, harmful and dangerous if we act in this way. Those who take advantage of their position to recommend people who are often not to be recommended, both in terms of value and honesty, are not credible." Thus, "the Council's action will be educational and informative and will address public opinion and multiple institutions to create a mentality of freedom and justice for the common good". And this "mostly where, in the world, corruption itself is the dominant social system."

This "path will not be simple: the Church is widespread in the world, and it is necessary to listen to all its parts in order to proceed in the dialogue, including with non-Christians, in a participatory, transparent and effective way," the document states. Furthermore, it will be fundamental "to develop the link (now almost lost) between justice and beauty. The extraordinary historical, artistic and architectural heritage will be a formidable support element for the educational and social action against all forms of corruption and organized crime."

The council "will also elaborate a proposal for political thought (with special attention to democracy and secularism) that can enlighten action toward institutions to ensure that international treaties are effectively applied and that legislations are made uniform in order to best prosecute the tentacles of crime which go beyond national borders."

The Dicastery "must resound the message of justice and peace of Pope Francis. Corruption, in fact, also causes a lack of peace, so the Council will also pursue the relationship between peace processes and forms of corruption."

We need "a movement, a revival of consciences," it concludes, "this is our primary motivation, which we perceive as a moral obligation. Laws are necessary but not enough. There will be three levels of action: education, culture and civic duty. We have to move with courage and leave our mark on consciences to move from indifference to the perception of the severity of these phenomena, to fight them."